The recent acquisition of two armoured BMW 760 Li cars for N225 million by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for the aviation minister, Stella Oduah, has been in the news across the country this week. Several public commentators and political figures have described the incident as outrageous while others such as Dino Melaye have called for the immediate resignation of the Minister for Aviation.
Since the advent of this current democratic regime in May 29, 1999, there have been several incidents that replicate this, and seemed to upset the political apple-cart.
In September 2007, there was chaos in the lower chamber of the House of Representatives as members were divided over allegations that the then speaker, Patricia Etteh, had authorised a contract worth N628 million for the renovation of her official residence and that of her deputy, Babangida Nguroje. The incident heated up the polity and divided key political figures and social commentators.
Patricia Etteh authorised N628 million for the renovation of two residences.
At the time, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, called for the resignation of the Osun State representative. Others that joined in the call for her resignation were the Afenifere group, Olu Falae and a group within the House of Representatives called the Integrity group. But Etteh held sway, as she had support from her party, the PDP, and key figures notable amongst who was the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Frederick Fasheun who threw up the ethnic card by insisting that “his organisation would not fold its arms and see one of its own being punished for no reason over charges that lack merit”.
Eventually, on October 30, 2007, Etteh and her deputy, Nguroje, stepped down from the leadership of the house.
However, by August 2012, Etteh had been cleared by the House of Representatives of any wrongdoing in the renovation scandal, had received two major National honours — the Commander of the Niger (CON) and the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) — while the leader of the Integrity Group that forced her resignation, Farouk Lawan, was under investigation for a $3 million subsidy bribe scandal.
The current first lady of the country, Patience Jonathan, also had a case to answer over money laundering in August 2007 — to the tune of N104 million. Then chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, in a suit number FHC/ABJ/M/340/06 filed on August 21, 2007 at the Federal High Court, Abuja, named Mrs. Jonathan, as an accomplice in a N104 million-money laundering case involving one Nancy Ebere Nwosu.
First Lady, Patience Jonathan was named as an accomplice in a N104 million lawsuit.
The EFCC named Dame Jonathan as an accomplice in the case stating that N104 million had been laundered into a first Bank account with number 3292010060711 belonging to Nansolyvan Public Relations Limited by a certain Hanner Offor. The Affidavit used in supporting the suit’s originating summons filed by the EFCC prosecuting counsel, Ofem Okut, declared that: “Our investigations revealed that Mrs. Patience Jonathan, wife of the Governor of Bayelsa State, was the person who instructed one Hanner Offor to launder the said sum ofN104,000,000 into the account of Nansolyvan Public Relations Limited with First Bank of Nigeria Plc (FBN), Niger House, Marina, Lagos.”
In March 2013, Dame Patience was in the news again, as the building cost for her legacy project, the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM), which was expected to cost over N4 billion had been inserted into the Budget for the FCT. This caused a lot of outrage as several political onlookers queried the rationale behind using state funds to execute her personal project.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Soyinka was most vocal about the project, questioning the role of the first lady in influencing national budgetary expenditure.
“May I ask what legality, in national or international law, the whims and caprices of rulers’ wives exercise upon governments?” He said in his response titled ‘Ghost Missions on the Gravy Train’.
Former Bayelsa governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha broke his bail conditions and evaded capture in Europe by dressing up as a woman. The sum involved was £1.8 million.
On September 15, 2005, a serving governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was arrested and detained in London on money laundering charges. In his possession was 1.8 million British pounds in cash and bank. Alamieyeseigha was held by the British police for over a month but, astonishingly, on November 21, 2005, he appeared at the Governor’s lodge in Yenagoa, with the BBC on November 23, declaring that he disguised as a woman to escape.
“Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha broke his bail conditions and evaded capture in Europe by dressing up as a woman,” they said.
Alamieyeseigha, on his part, gave all ‘glory to God’ on his escape. “I cannot tell you how I was brought here. It is a mystery. All the glory goes to God,” he told supporters on November 22, outside the government house, Yenagoa.
In December, however, 17 out of 24 members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly impeached DSP Alamieyeseigha and he was immediately arrested by the Police Commissioner at the time, Hafiz Ringim.
On March 12, 2013, Alamieyeseigha was granted a presidential pardon by his former deputy, Goodluck Jonathan who is now President of Nigeria. A few weeks later though, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Andrew Pocock, clarified that Alamieyeseigha still has questions to answer in the UK.
“The former governor skipped bail in the UK on a charge of money laundering and returned to Nigeria. So, he has an outstanding charge in the UK, which is there for him to answer,” he said. “We have already discussed it and the Nigerian government knows our views. But we would like to see him return and answer charge in the UK.”
Alamaieyeseigha does not hold the record for jumping bail as a governor, as Governor Joshua Dariye of Plateau State also jumped bail from the UK in September 2004 after being arrested on money laundering charges.
Former Plateau state governor, Joshua Dariye also jumped bail in the UK.
Thirteen former governors all still have questions to answer with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), topping this list are Orji Uzor Kalu, Lucky Igbinedion, Jolly Nyame, Ayo Fayose and Rasheed Ladoja.
Ladoja told Human Rights Watch that he fell out with his former patron, Lamidi Adedibu, after coming into office in 2003 because he refused Adedibu access to the treasury. Ladoja alleged that Adedibu ordered him to turn over 25 percent of the government’ssecurity vote—or roughly N15 million per month—directly to him.
A good part of Ladoja’s tenure was marred with conflict between his loyalists and those loyal to Adedibu. Ladoja was impeached on January 11, 2006. A year later the Supreme Court overturned the impeachment, describing it at illegal. Ladoja lost the 2007 governorship election to his deputy, Christopher Alao-Akala who remained loyal to Adedibu.
The Security personnels are also not exempted from the pervasive corruption, Mustafa “Tafa” Adebayo Balogun who became Inspector General of Police in March 2002, was arraigned on April 4, 2005 after being forced to retire due to allegations three months earlier that he had received monies from criminals to alter investigations.
He eventually entered a plea bargain with the EFCC and was given a much reduced prison sentence of 6 months, out of which he spent a greater part at the Abuja National Hospital.
This new armoured vehicle scandal, therefore, is not a shock to many. The question is: will it, like most others, be swept under the rug or will it be pursued to a just and logical conclusion?